Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park
Encyclopedia
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park is a memorial to Franklin D. Roosevelt
and the Four Freedoms
, located at the southernmost point of Roosevelt Island
, in the East River
between Manhattan Island and Queens
in New York City
. It was designed by the architect Louis Kahn
.
speech to the United States Congress
in 1941.
Roosevelt Island was named in honor of the former president in 1973, and the planners announced their intention to build a memorial to Roosevelt at the island's southern tip. The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
raised funds for the park and kept the project going over time.
Louis Kahn was asked to design the monument in 1972; this turned out to be only two years before his own death. Four Freedoms Park is one of Kahn's last works; he was carrying the finished designs with him when he died in 1974 in Penn Station in New York City.
After Kahn's death, his designs were continued by Mitchell | Giurgola Architects, who kept to Kahn's original intentions. An exhibition at Cooper Union
in 2005 brought additional attention and helped to advance the project years later.
Ground breaking took place in 2010 and the park is scheduled to open in 2012. After it opens, Four Freedoms Park will become a New York State Park.
A courtyard contains a bust of Roosevelt, sculpted in 1933 by Jo Davidson
.
At the point, the monument itself is a simplified, roofless version of a Greek temple in granite. Excerpts from Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech are to be carved on the walls of this "room", which will be open to the sky above.
The Four Freedoms speech has inspired and been included in additional works of art, including the Four Freedoms Monument
, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
and, most notably, Norman Rockwell
's series of paintings the Four Freedoms
.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and the Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms
The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms speech , he proposed four fundamental freedoms that people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy:# Freedom of speech and expression# Freedom of worship#...
, located at the southernmost point of Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island, known as Welfare Island from 1921 to 1973, and before that Blackwell's Island, is a narrow island in the East River of New York City. It lies between the island of Manhattan to its west and the borough of Queens to its east...
, in the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
between Manhattan Island and Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was designed by the architect Louis Kahn
Louis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn was an American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935...
.
History
President Roosevelt made his famous Four FreedomsFour Freedoms
The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms speech , he proposed four fundamental freedoms that people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy:# Freedom of speech and expression# Freedom of worship#...
speech to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1941.
Roosevelt Island was named in honor of the former president in 1973, and the planners announced their intention to build a memorial to Roosevelt at the island's southern tip. The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
The Roosevelt Institute is a progressive non-profit organization devoted to carrying forward the legacy and values of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by developing progressive ideas and bold leadership in the service of restoring America's health and security...
raised funds for the park and kept the project going over time.
Louis Kahn was asked to design the monument in 1972; this turned out to be only two years before his own death. Four Freedoms Park is one of Kahn's last works; he was carrying the finished designs with him when he died in 1974 in Penn Station in New York City.
After Kahn's death, his designs were continued by Mitchell | Giurgola Architects, who kept to Kahn's original intentions. An exhibition at Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
in 2005 brought additional attention and helped to advance the project years later.
Ground breaking took place in 2010 and the park is scheduled to open in 2012. After it opens, Four Freedoms Park will become a New York State Park.
Design
The Park stands at the southernmost point of Roosevelt Island. Approaching from the north, the visitor passes between a double row of trees that narrow as they approach the point, framing views of the New York skyline and the harbor.A courtyard contains a bust of Roosevelt, sculpted in 1933 by Jo Davidson
Jo Davidson
Jo Davidson was an American sculptor of Russian-Jewish descent. Although he specialized in realistic, intense portrait busts, Davidson did not require his subjects to formally pose for him; rather, he observed and spoke with them...
.
At the point, the monument itself is a simplified, roofless version of a Greek temple in granite. Excerpts from Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech are to be carved on the walls of this "room", which will be open to the sky above.
The Four Freedoms speech has inspired and been included in additional works of art, including the Four Freedoms Monument
Four Freedoms Monument
The Four Freedoms Monument was commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt following his articulation of the "Four Freedoms" in his 1941 State of the Union Address...
, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The memorial's design concept of four outdoor "rooms" and gardens is animated by water, stone, and sculpture.The 1974 design competition was won by Lawrence Halprin; but for more than 20 years Congress failed to appropriate the funds to move beyond this conceptual stage...
and, most notably, Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
's series of paintings the Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms (Norman Rockwell)
The Four Freedoms or Four Essential Human Freedoms is a series of oil paintings produced in 1943 by the American artist Norman Rockwell. The paintings are approximately equal in dimension with measurements of ×...
.